


Mind, Magic, and Sword…wait what?

by Trace_Carter



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24983572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trace_Carter/pseuds/Trace_Carter
Summary: Kakashi thought he was going to have another easy time evaluating this year's set of Genin to see if they had what it took to become Shinobi.  Too bad the three chosen for his team were anything but normal.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

As Kakashi Hatake made his way towards the Konoha Shinobi Academy, he wondered to himself why he had agreed to yet again take on a prospective Genin Team. The previous Teams he had been given had all been sent back to the Academy for not passing his test to see if they truly had what it took to be Shinobi of Konohagakure. So why would this team be any different? Granted, the Team did have some promising members, Sasuke, the so called Last Uchiha due to his clan being massacred with him as the sole remaining member in Konoha. Sakura Haruno, the top Kunoichi in her graduating class, despite her not coming from a Shinobi background. And his former Sensei’s son, Naruto Uzumaki, the current Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He still had to grade them as fair as he did his previous students, for if they were not ready, all that awaited them was tragedy in the world outside Konoha’s walls.

As Kakashi neared the classroom his students would be waiting in, he paused at the door and looked around. Considering what he had read about Naruto’s personality in the Academy records, he expected there to be a prank of some kind set up at the doorway, ranging from something as simple as an eraser ready to drop chalk dust on his head or a tripwire that would hurl glue and feathers at him. But to his surprise, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. A bit worried now, he lifted his headband for a second so he could do a quick once over with his Sharingan, but again he found no evidence of any pranks.

Cautiously, the Jonin reached for the sliding door and gingerly opened it, expecting something to literally blow up in his face. But was pleasantly surprised when nothing out of the ordinary happened. Sighing, he turned his attention to his new students and his relief at normalcy died right there.

‘Wait…what?’

Kakashi couldn’t help but stare in dumbfounded surprise at the three prospective Genin, and it was not because of how they looked, but rather what they had chosen to do to pass the time while waiting for him.

Naruto, the hyperactive ball of energy, was seen sitting calmly at one of the desks, calmly running the gleaming blade of a rather impressive looking katana across a whetstone, completely at ease and relaxed with no sign of the knucklehead prankster that had terrorized the teachers and residents of Konoha alike. Instead, he was a picture of peace and calm as he casually sharpened his sword, which in and of itself was confusing, as where would someone like Naruto have gotten such a high-quality Katana. After all, Kakashi had seen many blades in his time, and the one Naruto was currently maintaining was one of the finest he’d ever seen.

And, even with all of this, Naruto was the most normal of the three.

Case in point with Sakura who was leaning back in her chair with her feet propped up atop her desk as she juggled what appeared to be meditation balls in her hand. Now this would be all fine and normal, but said balls were actually floating in a circle suspended in the air above her hand, with a faint pink glow surrounding them…and were her eyes glowing pink as well?

Finally, he turned to the final member of his possible Team. And unfortunately, he was just as peculiar, if not more so, than the others. You see, the Last Uchiha was floating above his desk in a lotus position, looking as natural as if he was sitting on the ground, with a thick book floating in front of him as he read from it from his meditative pose, and when the Jonin took a closer look at the cover, he saw characters from a language he couldn’t make heads or tails of.

“Kakashi-sensei, I presume?” said Sakura as she glanced his way, the spheres she had been levitating dropping into her waiting hand.

“Hmm,” said Kakashi as he quickly placed a calm and neutral façade on, “how shall I say this, my first impression is…I hate you. Meet me on the rooftop in five minutes.”

Kakashi was about to use a Shunshin to head to the roof ahead of the others, but he was caught off guard by a flash of light that engulfed Sasuke, and when it faded, he was gone. Sakura then pocketed her meditation balls and literally flew out the window, opting to take the outside path to the roof, leaving Naruto to sheathe his blade and start walking as Kakashi regained his composure and used Shunshin to get to the roof.

xXsceneXx

As expected, Naruto was the last to arrive at the rooftop, and Kakashi tried to regain a sense of normalcy over this situation, “Well, now that we’re all here, how about we begin with some introductions?”

“Sensei,” said Sakura calmly, “since you brought it up, perhaps it would be best if you went first so that we have a format to frame our responses?”

“If you insist,” said Kakashi, “I'm Kakashi Hatake, Jonin level Shinobi of Konoha. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes, my dreams for the future are none of your business, and I have lots of hobbies…”

Sakura gave a light sigh at the half-assed introduction and rose to her feet, “Very well, I am Sakura Haruno, ESPer in training. I like reading, meditation, and training my powers. I dislike noisy distractions and overly spicy foods. My dream for the future is to master my powers and become as strong as I can be.”

Kakashi blinked. This was…not at all what he was expecting from her, though from what he had already seen, he shouldn’t really be surprised, “…okay then, blondie, you next.”

“Very well,” said Naruto as he rose to his feet and gave a courteous bow, “my name is Naruto Uzumaki, student of the blade and follower of the path of the sword. I enjoy training, calligraphy, tea, gardening, and the occasional bowl of ramen. I dislike those who disrespect the path of the sword and dirty their blades with their corrupt ambitions. My goal is to one day become Hokage so that I can flush out those who live without honor and bring this village to a new golden age.”

Once again, Kakashi didn’t quite know what to say, so he simply motioned towards Sasuke for him to begin.

“My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and I am a student of the mystic and arcane,” said Sasuke, “I like studying and tomatoes and dislike natto and sweets. My dream is more of an ambition and a promise: I shall master the mystic artes and use them to see justice served for the death of my family.”

“…right,” said Kakashi with a sigh as he felt ready to just give up at this point (at least he wasn’t dealing with Gai levels of craziness) and decided to move on, “well, I would like to congratulate you upon becoming Genin of Konoha…except, you’re not. Not yet.”

“What do you mean, sensei?” asked Naruto curiously.

“The graduation exam was just to weed out those with the potential to be Genin,” said Kakashi, “tomorrow you shall face the true exam, and it has a 66% failure rate. We’ll meet up at Training Ground 3 at 7am. Come prepared, but I don’t recommend eating breakfast, you’ll just throw it all up.”

Satisfied that he at least got through that part without any craziness, Kakashi opted to Shunshin away and relax back at his apartment with a good book….and maybe a bottle or two.

xXsceneXx

The next day, Kakashi arrived at the Training Ground, three hours late of course, and saw, to his surprise that his students looked rather calm and collected…and not the least bit hungry. In fact, the three of them were casually enjoying cups of tea while sitting on a blanket.

“You’re late, Kakashi sensei,” said Sakura in a level tone as Kakashi approached the three of them.

“Hm?” asked Kakashi, “Oh right, you see, as I was heading over here I ran across an elderly lady that needed help with her groceries, and when we reached her house, she insisted I stay for a meal and I must have lost track of time.”

“I see,” said Sakura with a raised eyebrow.

“Now,” said Kakashi, “didn’t I tell you not to eat breakfast?”

“Actually,” said Sasuke, “you just said you didn’t recommend it. You never said we weren’t allowed to.”

“Indeed,” said Sakura, “it is logical that we prepare for whatever challenge awaits us.”

Naruto nodded in agreement with his teammates, “Hunger is the enemy. Wars are not won on empty stomachs.”

Kakashi felt his eye twitch but luckily, it was covered up by his headband, “…right then,” he said as he placed an alarm clock on a post sticking up out of the field and pulled out two bells and showed them to the teens, “the test is this. You have until this alarm goes off to retrieve these bells from me. Anyone who fails to retrieve a bell will be sent back to the Academy.”

“I feel obliged to point out that there are only two bells, sensei,” said Naruto as he rose to his feet and adjusted his sword’s sheathe.

“Why yes,” said Kakashi, “yes there are. The test starts NOW!”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Sasuke brought his hands together, causing him to vanish in a flash of light while Sakura flew off into the trees, leaving Naruto alone standing before Kakashi.

“Not going to hide like the others?” asked Kakashi as he raised his visible eyebrow.

“I prefer to face my opponents head on,” said Naruto as he placed a hand on his sword’s hilt, “the blade of my sword Tōsei shall prove my worth.”

Kakashi sighed, it looked like he’d be sending Naruto back to the academy after giving him a rude awakening about fighting like a Shinobi. A pity really, as he had been looking forward to teaching his Sensei’s son. The Jonin reached into his pouch and withdrew his copy of Icha Icha Paradise to read, after all, if he was going to steamroll through this team, he might as well enjoy himself while doing so.

This lasted all of three seconds as Kakashi felt a gust of wind and his book suddenly split in half right down the spine. Glancing up at the blond in front of him, Kakashi saw Naruto returning his sword to its sheathe with a frown.

“I will show you the respect you deserve as a warrior,” said Naruto seriously, “I would ask you to do the same for me.”

“That was…quite the technique,” Kakashi said stiffly as he put away the remains of his favorite novel. At least it wasn’t the autographed copy.

“Not really,” said Naruto as he pointed to Kakashi’s flak jacket, causing him to look down and see that there was now a deep cut in the thick material, the Jonin’s black undershirt visible through the slash. “A good swordsman only cuts what he means to cut. I was aiming at your book.”

“…I see,” said Kakashi as he reached into his pouch and pulled out two kunai, “perhaps I will take things seriously, but don’t blame me when you don’t pass.”

Instead of responding, Naruto shot forward in a blur of motion, catching the Jonin by surprise and forcing him into a defensive position as he blocked a flurry of slashes from the blond’s sword with the Kunai in his hands, before having to perform a quick Kawarimi with a log to put some distance between them. As Kakashi reappeared a few feet away, Naruto squared his stance and sheathed his sword.

The next thing Kakashi knew, Naruto had unsheathed his blade in a blur of motion, sending blades of wind flying at the copy-ninja that tore through the ground and sliced through the trees behind Kakashi as said Jonin dodged the incoming attacks. This however, left him off balance enough for Naruto to rush forward and swing his sword downwards at the Jonin, forcing him to use a Kawarimi to escape.

Upon seeing the large gash the blond’s attack tore into the ground, Kakashi promptly decided to try his luck at testing one of the other two. Surely they didn’t have such absurd levels of skill…right?

xXsceneXx

It wasn’t long before Kakashi managed to track down Sasuke…or rather, that’s what he put in the reports. As he was leaping through the trees, several vines suddenly shot up and wrapped around his arms and torso, holding him in the air.

“Not what I’d expect from an Elite Jonin,” drawled Sasuke as he shimmered into visibility.

“I didn’t expect a Genin to be able to use the Tōton Jutsu,” countered Kakashi.

“A simple concealment spell,” said Sasuke with a shrug, “nothing that complex. I’ll be taking those bells now”

“We’ll see about that,” said Kakashi before revealing himself to be a Kage Bunshin that promptly dispelled.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed before he leapt back as several Kunai flew down at him, and Kakashi stepped out onto a tree branch/

“I’ll admit you surprised me,” said the Copy-ninja, “so I won’t be going as easy.”

Kakashi quickly weaved several hand seals and brought his hands to his mouth, “Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!”

As the Jonin breathed out a blast of fire from his mouth, Sasuke stood firm and held out his hand, drawing a set of glowing symbols into the air, “Obice luminis.”

Kakashi was then surprised when the flames from his attack collided with the runes and were deflected away, almost as if a barrier had been erected between them and the Uchiha. Sasuke then pointed his hand at Kakashi as he incanted “Ignis exiet!”

Kakashi suddenly found himself in the opposite position as a stream of fire shot at him, forcing him to leap from the tree with some burns on his side from where the flames grazed him. As the tree burned behind him, Sasuke brought his palms together and slammed them on the ground, causing another glowing symbol to briefly appear on the dirt, “Catenas ligneas!”

Kakashi was given little warning as thick roots shot up from under his feet and made to bind him again, but Kakashi had been prepared this time and quickly drew a Kunai that he quickly used to slice the vines to pieces. Making a few quick hand-seals Kakashi quickly kneaded Chakra in his stomach, forming it into a stream of water that he shot at the young Uchiha from his mouth, looking to wash him away, “Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!”

Sasuke watched the approaching wave with a calm stare and drew another glowing rune in the air between him and the incoming torrent, “Spiritus glacialis!”

Sasuke blew out a breath that the rune turned into a frigid gale that turned the incoming wave into a frozen glacier. Drawing another rune into the air, Sasuke thrust his fist through the glowing glyph, causing the glacier in front of him to shatter with the shards flying at Kakashi, “Spears gelida!”

His visible eye widening, Kakashi used a quick Kawarimi to replace himself with a log that was easily shredded by the spears of ice. Reappearing deep within the trees Kakashi unconsciously brought a hand to his brow and was surprised when he found some sweat forming. What in the hell were they teaching students these days in the academy? As Kakashi watched Sasuke head off, he wondered where his prospective students had acquired the powers and skills they had displayed, because they sure weren’t teaching high level Kenjutsu and advanced Elemental manipulation when he was attending the Academy.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Kakashi leapt out of the tree, but as his feet touched the ground, the earth shattered, causing him to stumble as the dirt rose up around him, glowing with a pink light.

“Hello Kakashi-sensei,” said Sakura as she floated down to his level, her eyes glowing with a light that matched her hair.

Kakashi couldn’t help but feel his eye twitch at how it seemed to be divine karma that put him with these three obscenely overpowered children to pay him back for failing so many previous Teams. Sure, he had no proof, but seriously?!

“I must compliment you,” said Kakashi, “not many can say that they were able to catch me off guard like this.”

“You’ll find we’re full of surprises,” said Sakura.

“Perhaps,” said Kakashi before he vanished in a poof of smoke, having managed to switch with an emergency Kage Bunshin just before getting trapped.

“Magen,” said Kakashi from behind her, causing her to turn in surprise, “Narakumi no Jutsu!”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she felt the Genjutsu wash over her, but she didn’t flinch, her eyes instead glowing brighter as the illusion shattered like glass in front of her, “A weak illusion. It was unfortunate that you tried it on a mind as strong as mine. And on that note, NOW!”

Suddenly, Sasuke and Naruto burst from the trees, the former tracing a glowing rune into the air while the latter gripped his sword.

“Excaecante sole!”

“Ittoryu: Issen!”

Kakashi was blindsided, literally, as Sasuke’s spell activated an intense light radiated from the runes he had drawn, forcing the Jonin to have to shield his eyes as Naruto shot past him in a blur of motion, a breeze as he passed being the only indication of how close he had come.

“Enough is enough,” muttered Kakashi as he made a quick substitution with a Kage Bunshin, “Bunshin Daibakuha!”

Kakashi’s Kage Bunshin detonated in a violent explosion that sent the three abnormal teens flying away from his position as the Jonin burst out from the ground where his copy had been standing, just as the alarm clock he had set up went off.

“Well,” said Kakashi as he dusted himself off, “I suppose that’s that.”

“Indeed it is, Kakashi-sensei,” said Naruto from behind him, causing the Jonin to turn as the blond sheathed his sword and watched as he held up the two bells by the strings.

Kakashi’s eyes widened and his hand reached down to his hip where the bells had been, but found that the blond had actually managed to slice through the knot holding them to his belt without damaging anything else on his person.

“Well played,” said Kakashi, “well then Naruto-kun, which of your teammates is going back to the Academy?”

“Neither of them,” said Naruto with a smirk, “we are all passing today.”

“Oh?” asked Kakashi, “But there are only two bells and you hold both.”

“It’s simple really,” said Sakura as she floated over, “You yourself stated that whomever retrieves the bells from you shall pass. And since we all worked together to retrieve them, and because you never said that we had to be holding the bell in order to pass, it seems the three of us will be graduating. Good thing too, as Genin Teams are always structured in groups of three.”

Behind his mask, Kakashi’s jaw dropped as the pieces fell into place and he realized he’d been played, “You three…did you plan this?”

“Why yes,” said Sakura with a slightly smug smile, “and I must thank you for giving us the time to do so. If you hadn’t arrived so late, we wouldn’t have had enough time to put together our plan.”

‘Damnit,’ Kakashi cursed mentally. Of all the times that his habit of arriving late could come back to bite him, it had to be now? Well, at least they grasped the lesson about teamwork he had wanted to impart.

‘Still though,’ he thought to himself, ‘once I find out who’s responsible for this prank, somebody is going to pay.’


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Kakashi was up bright and early with a goal set in his mind. Ever since parting ways with his new students, he had been curious as to how and where the strange skills they had displayed had come from. After speaking with Iruka when he turned in his report on the results of his test (the other Jonin looked at him like he had grown a second head when he arrived not only on time, but early), he became even more curious, as Iruka’s reports on their time in the Academy had no mention about any of their abilities and even showed a totally different psychological profile than what he had seen from the three earlier that day. Resolving to find out more, Kakashi created two Kage Bunshin and sent them to investigate Sasuke and Sakura while he himself went to check on Naruto.

When he arrived at Naruto’s apartment, he frowned behind his mask at the thought that his sensei’s son was living alone in one of the seedier parts of the village, but put that aside as something to worry about after he solved the mystery of Team 7. Walking up to the door, he knocked three times and was promptly greeted by Naruto and welcomed inside.

“Ah, Kakashi-sensei,” said Naruto with a smile, “do come in.”

“Why thank you,” said Kakashi politely as he walked in and looked around at the blond’s apartment.

The apartment was surprisingly clean for one that lived alone, with several bonsai trees sitting in the sun on a windowsill and a bamboo fountain sitting on a shelf. As for Naruto himself, he was wearing a casual orange yukata tied with a grey sash and wore geta sandals on his feet as he took a kettle from the stove and began to pour steaming water into a teapot.

“May I offer you some tea?” Naruto asked politely, “I was just about to have some myself.”

“Sure,” said Kakashi, prompting the blond to pour them both a cup of the steaming brew and place both on a table in the center of the room before pulling out his sword and a small whetstone.

“You don’t mind if I do this while we talk, do you?” asked Naruto, “I need to be sure I maintain Tōsei regularly.”

“It’s fine,” said Kakashi, seeing an opportunity to bring up one of the subjects he had wanted to discuss, “by the way Naruto, that sword, it is quite interesting.”

“Why yes,” said Naruto as he dragged the whetstone across the edge of his blade, “I am quite proud of Tōsei here. It is a fine blade indeed and I work hard to keep it that way.”

“I am curious,” said Kakashi, “where did you acquire such a blade?”

“Tōsei has been in my family for generations,” said Naruto as he inspected his work before running the whetstone across the blade again, “it is a precious heirloom that I am proud to have inherited.”

“Really now,” mused Kakashi before thinking to himself, ‘I don’t recall sensei using any Kenjutsu, and Kushina-sama always preferred Taijutsu. And I swear I’ve never seen this blade any time before today, so where did he get it?’

All of this wasn’t adding up, from what he’d seen during his time as an ANBU assigned to guard him, and from reports from the Academy instructors, the blond was a hyperactive ball of energy that regularly pranked people and made trouble in a bid to get attention, which also negatively impacted his studies, due to him lacking the discipline needed to focus and work. But what he was seeing here was completely the opposite: a boy that sat calm and collected before him as he meticulously sharpened the blade of his katana with a skillful precision that Kakashi hadn’t seen since his last trip to Tetsu no Kuni. And Naruto was no slouch with the blade either, he had shown as much during the Genin Exam, in fact, he hadn’t seen such skill outside that of a trained Samurai or one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. When had he had time to learn all of this?

“Is something wrong, Kakashi-sensei?” asked Naruto suddenly, bringing his teacher out of his thoughts.

“I beg your pardon?” asked Kakashi, wondering if his student knew what he was thinking.

“With the tea,” elaborated Naruto as he pointed to the cup that had been set before the masked Jonin, “you haven’t even touched it. If the blend isn’t to your liking, I can get another, I have many more to choose from.”

“No,” said Kakashi, “I’m sure it’s wonderful. By the way, where is your Toilet?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s that door there,” said Naruto as he turned and gestured to a door, but when he turned back, Kakashi was placing his now empty teacup down on the table, causing the blond to glance back and forth from the cup to Kakashi’s mask before raising an eyebrow.

“Well,” said Kakashi, “that tea was quite good. And as it turns out I don’t have to go after all, I’ll just be heading out. Don’t be late for training tomorrow Naruto-kun. Oh, and thank you again for your hospitality.”

“I’ll see you then, Kakashi-sensei,” said Naruto as he checked the edge of his blade again, this time satisfied with his work, before retrieving some sword polish, “I look forward to the opportunity to learn from your experience.”

The masked Jonin suppressed another eye twitch as he glanced at the blade and realized that he had not gotten any real answers to the questions he had about the blond, and nor was he going to if Naruto was going to dedicate himself to following this story of being a sort of Samurai-shinobi. Deciding to leave before his sanity, whatever was left of it after all this time, was eroded away completely, he headed towards the merchant section of the village and had just made it when one of his Kage Bunshin’s memories came back to him, causing the twitch in his eye to return in full force as he received the recollections of its meeting with Sasuke.

xXsceneXx

‘Everything seems normal,’ mused Kakashi’s Kage Bunshin as it approached the house Sasuke lived in, the teen having previously moved out of the Uchiha Clan Compound not long after the Massacre, and into a modest house provided by the council due to ‘traumatic memories’ and the like, ‘but looks could be deceiving.’

As he walked up to the front door, he felt a strange tingling, similar to what he felt the last time someone tried to cast a Genjutsu on him, but he brushed it aside and made to knock on the door, but before he could, the door swung open all on its own, surprising the Jonin, but considering everything he’d seen in his life, a door opening on its own didn’t even rank in the top twenty.

The inside however…

Kakashi found his eye twitching again as he looked around the interior of Sasuke’s apartment. The room was quite dim due to the windows being covered by black curtains, with scattered candles providing light. The walls had strange symbols written on them in chalk and a glowing pattern that reminded Kakashi of some kind of Fuinjutsu seal was drawn on the floor. To the side there was what looked like a small apothecary table set up with some sort of chemistry set sitting atop it, and a large bookshelf dominated one of the walls, filled with tomes and scrolls with titles written in various languages, most of which Kakashi himself didn’t recognize.

“Kakashi-sensei,” said Sasuke from behind him, and the Jonin’s Kage Bunshin most certainly did NOT jump in surprise before turning around to greet the young Uchiha, seeing him dressed in black robes with more strange symbols drawn on it, “What brings you to my humble abode?”

“I was just in the neighborhood,” said Kakashi, “thought I’d visit one of my cute little students. I must say though, you have an interesting taste in décor.”

“It serves my purposes,” said Sasuke as he took a book off one of the shelves and flipped through the pages, “my workshop has what is needed for my studies of the arcane.”

Walking over to the chemistry set, Sasuke placed the book down on the table and began grinding some roots and herbs with a mortar and pestle, causing his sensei to quirk his brow, as he recognized them from the standard handbook on wilderness plants. The herbs could be found in Training Ground 44 and were actually quite poisonous, and the root was a common ingredient in pain medicine and was mainly found in the Nara Clan Forest, raising the question as to how the young Uchiha obtained said plants and what he intended to do with them.

“What are you doing over there?” asked Kakashi as he glanced over at his student.

“I’m creating a catalyst,” said Sasuke as he finished grinding and began to pour the mixture into a glass container and pick up several vials, “some of the more powerful spells I perform require a catalytic agent to focus my power through.”

“Spells like what you used in the test?” asked Kakashi.

“Somewhat,” said Sasuke, “I focused on rune artes during the Genin exam as they are easy to perform and require little to no prep time before casting. These potions will expand my arsenal, though they take time to prepare, which is why I am crafting them now.”

Kakashi watched as the young Uchiha mixed the liquids from the vials in a precise order, pouring them into a prepared beaker, before adding the crushed herbs and roots to the mixture, causing it to change colors, gradually making its way through the spectrum as Sasuke picked the beaker and placing it over a small flame.

“One needs to be careful though,” Sasuke said as he watched the beaker carefully, “some of these can be a bit volatile if not brewed correctly, leading to rather…unpleasant results.”

“Wait, what?” exclaimed Kakashi, snapping his head back around to gape at his student from behind his mask.

“Indeed,” said Sasuke as he added a powder to the liquid, causing it to froth, “if not handled just so, it could have rather…explosive results.”

“…I see,” said Kakashi as he warily glanced at the bubbling chemical.

“Do not worry,” said Sasuke as he picked up several small vials and began to fill them with the potion he had finished, “I know what I am doing.”

“So, what led you to study all of…this?” asked Kakashi as he glanced around at the room, they were in, “I mean, this isn’t exactly a typical field for a Shinobi.”

“When did I ever say I was a Shinobi?” asked Sasuke, “Magic is everything. It flows in and around us, defining the universe and permeating all life. Why wouldn’t I wish to study this primal force and learn more about it? Understanding it is the first step to understanding the universe itself.”

“I see,” said Kakashi. He was honestly a bit taken aback at this response. From what he’d seen in Sasuke’s Academy profile, the boy was cold and closed off, driven to be the best for the sole purpose of avenging his clan, pushing away any potential friends in the process. Nothing like this studious scholarly teen that worked with strange forces that he would be hard pressed to replicate with any Jutsu he knew. How the young Uchiha knew about and could harness these so-called primal forces was anyone’s guess.

“Well,” said Kakashi, “I must be off. Lots to do, people to see.”

“Understandable,” said Sasuke without turning around, “and Kakashi-sensei?”

“Yes?” asked Kakashi as he paused.

“Next time, come in person instead of sending a Kage Bunshin,” said Sasuke as he snapped his fingers, causing said Kage Bunshin to forcibly dispel.

xXsceneXx

Kakashi pinched the bridge as he finished reviewing the memories of his Kage Bunshin. Once again, he was left with more questions than answers. It seemed to be becoming a theme with his new Team. He almost dreaded to find out what his other Kage Bunshin had found during its investigation of the third member of his Genin Team, the so-called ESPer in training.

Almost as if the universe itself was laughing at him, at that very moment, the memories of his Kage Bunshin came rushing back to him…and there’s that twitch in his good eye, just as strong as before.

xXsceneXx

Unlike with Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura’s family was alive and well and thus the teen in question was living in an apartment with them nearby the market district. Arriving at the house, Kakashi knocked on the door and was greeted by Sakura’s mother, Mebuki.

“You must be Kakashi,” said Mebuki, “Sakura has told us much about you, and that you’d probably be stopping by. Do come in.”

“Is that so?” said Kakashi as he followed the Haruno matriarch inside.

“Indeed,” said Mebuki, “she always seems to know these things. Must be part of being such a skilled ESPer.”

“Ah,” said Kakashi warily, “so you know about that? About her being an ESPer?”

“Of course,” said Mebuki, “all the women in my family have the gift, though my daughter’s is particularly strong.”

“…really now?” said Kakashi in a forced calm voice, the twitch returning to his eye yet again.

“Oh yes,” said Mebuki, “she’s progressed with her power further than anyone I’ve ever seen for someone her age.”

“I see,” said Kakashi, “where is she now?”

“Probably off training,” said Mebuki, “Sakura is always wanting to push her powers to the next level and beyond so she’s always off training and studying. I used to worry about her social life, but she recently befriended one of the Jonin that hangs around the area she uses to train.”

“Really now?” said Kakashi, sensing a possible source of more information, “Which Jonin was it? I might know him or her.”

“I don’t recall her name,” said Mebuki, “but I do recall that she had purple hair.”

‘Hmm,’ thought Kakashi, ‘that does narrow it down a bit. It could be Yūgao, in fact, it would be preferable. We have a good enough rapport that she’d be easily convinced to share what she’s learned about my student.’

“Of course,” said Sakura’s voice from behind him, causing the Jonin to stiffen, as he hadn’t sensed her approach, “things can’t always be so easy. As you should well know, Kakashi-sensei.”

“Ah,” said Kakashi stiffly, “Sakura, we were just talking about you.”

“Yes, I know,” said Sakura, “about how I befriended one of Konoha’s Jonin while training? And you were wondering if you could use that to gather information about me?”

“Ah,” said Kakashi again, “I assume your powers also include mind reading then?”

“Not precisely,” shrugged Sakura, “though it was easy to infer upon your thought process. Especially after what Mitarashi-san has told me about you.”

“Oh, is that so?” said Kakashi as his eye twitched violently, before freezing as the last bit of what she said caught up to him, “wait, did you say Mitarashi…”

“Oi Kakashi,” said a boisterous voice from behind the scarred Jonin, causing the man to twitch as he recognized the owner, “your Genin here is a real riot.”

“Anko,” said Kakashi as he turned around to face the Tokubetsu Jonin, “so you know Haruno-san?”

“This gaki?” asked Anko with a laugh, “We met back at my favorite training ground. Not exactly sure how she got in, but anyone who can take out a giant centipede by tying its body into a knot is alright in my book.”

“Is that so?” said Kakashi uneasily, “Wait, don’t you normally train in Training Ground 44?”

“Yeah,” said Anko with a shrug, “what of it?”

Kakashi’s eye twitched again before he got it under control, “…how did she get in?”

“It wasn’t that hard,” said Sakura, “the gates only circle around the forest, leaving the overhead clear for entry. Besides, I needed a place to practice my powers, and Training Ground 44 was…adequate.”

Kakashi’s eye twitched one final time and he gave a strained eye smile, “Well, it was nice talking. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, the Kage Bunshin headed out and dispelled once it was a good distance away.

xXsceneXx

“Ugh,” groaned Kakashi once the memories passed, “you know what? That’s it! I’m done. I need a drink.”

And with that, the legendary Copy-nin headed off to the nearest bar to get hammered, wanting to forget what a handful his new team was shaping out to become.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun shined over Konoha as the three Genin of Team 7 shot through a wooded area off to the side of the village streets in hot pursuit of a dangerous and elusive target that they had been contracted to hunt down.

“I’m closing in,” said Sakura as she flew through the trees, using her ESPer powers to levitate through the trees, “target is en-route.”

“ _Copy that_ ,” came Naruto and Sasuke’s voices from the communicator she was wearing.

Suddenly, the creature she was pursuing made a sharp turn away from the direction they had been guiding it towards, bolting through several trees and bushes in an attempt to escape. Frowning, Sakura activated her mic and calculated a plan.

“Naruto, the target is headed to the northeast quadrant,” said Sakura, “we need you to intercept and redirect it!”

“On it!” said Naruto from his position as he dashed through the trees and grabbed the hilt of his sword, “ _Ittoryu:_ _Odoru tsubame!_ ”

Swinging his sword out, Naruto released multiple blades of wind that sliced through several trees in quick succession, causing wood to fall in the path of their target, forcing said target to stop in its tracks and sprint off in a different direction. Sheathing his sword, Naruto brought his hand up to the radio earpiece he was wearing.

“It’s headed your way Sasuke.”

The creature the Genin were pursuing continued to run through the trees, picking up speed, but a figure leapt down in front of it and drew a glowing rune in the air, “ _Somnus nebula!_ ”

A thick fog spread out from the runes, enveloping the creature as it tried to skid to a stop, and when it tumbled out the other side, it was in a deep sleep, allowing Sasuke to approach it and pick it up.

“Ribbon on the ear confirmed,” said Sasuke into the radio, “target has been apprehended.”

“Congratulations,” said Kakashi as the rest of his team walked up, or floated in Sakura’s case, “though I do have a question: why didn’t you just apprehend the target with your powers, Sakura?”

Said ESPer frowned and glanced away, a slight flush appearing on her cheeks, “…my powers aren’t advanced enough to target a moving object of that size.”

“I see,” said Kakashi, “well, in any case, the Daimyo’s wife will appreciate the return of her cat.”

“Indeed,” said Naruto, “the beast was surprisingly dangerous and elusive for one its size.”

“There’s a reason Tora is known as the Bane of all Genin and the Demon Cat,” sighed Kakashi as he thought back to his Genin days when his team was assigned this mission, “well, enough reminiscing. Let’s get Tora back to her owner.”

xXsceneXx

Once Madame Shijimi departed with a struggling Tora clutched a bit too tightly in her embrace, the members of Team 7 met with the Hokage to discuss the success of their mission and to request their next one.

“Impressive work,” said Hiruzen as he looked over the mission report, “I can say that I haven’t seen a more creative method used for this mission in years. Now, as for your next mission, let’s see, there’s cleaning out the Inuzuka kennels, painting the local Bathhouse, pulling weeds outside the Academy…”

“With all due respect, Hokage-sama,” said Sakura, “but would it be possible to request a higher-level mission? I mean, hauling lumber is good training for my abilities…”

“And it’s nice to find the occasional rare root or flower when gathering medicinal herbs for the hospital,” added Sasuke.

“And the joy of regaling youths with tales of legend when watching over them,” put in Naruto.

“But we would like a mission that better tests our skills,” finished Sakura.

“Sakura,” said Kakashi, “D-Ranks serve a vital purpose for helping Genin learn to work together as Shinobi. You can’t just jump into a C-Rank without adequate preparation.”

“Actually, Kakashi-sensei,” said Sakura, “according to the Konoha Genin Handbook, a new Genin team must perform a minimum of 42 D-Ranked missions before they are allowed to request a C-Rank from the Hokage, and since we’ve been averaging about three missions a day for the past three weeks, we’ve more than met that requirement.”

“And as for our teamwork,” said Sasuke, “I’d say we’ve proved we have that down considering our performance during your ‘Survival Test.’”

Kakashi’s visible eye twitched at the reminder causing the Sandaime to chuckle. He had gotten that report and said Jonin was notably rattled when discussing their progress and had requested to forgo training for one day so he could observe them. The subsequent report for that was made even more amusing due to the legendary Copy-nin being quite hungover when he submitted it.

“As it so happens,” said Hiruzen as he looked through the files on his desk, “there was a C-Rank just submitted this morning that should be perfect for you.”

The Hokage handed a file to Kakashi and the Copy-nin nodded as he read through it, “An escort mission to Nami no Kuni guarding a bridge builder from bandits. Yes, I believe this would be a good way for my students to get their feet wet and get some experience outside of the village.”

“Excellent,” said Hiruzen, “I shall inform the client of your acceptance.”

“Well then,” said Kakashi as he turned to his students, “head home and gather your things. We’ll be setting out once I speak with our client. Be prepared to camp out, as we won’t be returning for several days.”

The three Genin of Team 7 nodded and quickly departed, causing Hiruzen to chuckle, “Well, this should prove to be quite the experience.”

“For me or for them?” asked Kakashi flatly.

“Yes,” answered the Hokage simply, causing that blasted twitch to return to Kakashi’s eye.

xXsceneXx

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were pleasantly surprised when they only had to wait ten minutes before Kakashi arrived at the village gate, a grouchy looking older man following behind him with a sake jug in his hand.

“You’re not late,” observed Sasuke with a raised eyebrow.

“No,” said Kakashi, “no I’m not. Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Tazuna, our client. He’s a bridge builder from Nami no Kuni that we’ll be escorting back home, and along the way, we’ll be tasked with protecting him from the occasional bandit attack.”

“Are you sure these three kids will be enough?” grunted Tazuna, “They don’t look like much.”

“Trust me,” said Kakashi, “underestimating them will be the last mistake any bandits ever make. Believe me, I know from experience.”

“Really?” said Tazuna disbelievingly, “These three kids took you down?”

Kakashi’s eye started twitching again, “…I’d rather not talk about it.”

“In any case, sir,” said Naruto respectfully, “I’m sure you’ll find that we’re more than capable of any bandits that choose to cross our path.”

“After all,” said Sakura as he looked at him carefully, “bandits and such aren’t much to be worried about.”

“Right,” said Tazuna, “let’s get going then. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can get back to work.”

Kakashi nodded and the members of Team 7 headed out through the Konoha gates with Tazuna alongside them, though the bridge builder had to do a double take when he saw Sakura choose to levitate alongside them instead of walk, and upon confirming what he was seeing, he glanced down at his sake flask before shrugging and ignoring the anomaly.

The group continued on for several hours, keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks from bandits. And thanks to that, they noticed an irregularity on their path: a large puddle in the middle of the road when it hadn’t rained in days.

Sakura’s eyes glowed brighter for a moment before glancing at her teammates, getting a nod from Sasuke and Naruto and a quizzical look from Kakashi, and the group continued on, with Tazuna none the wiser. As they walked away from the irregular puddle, two male figures wearing rebreathers and hitai-ate that bore the symbol of Kirigakure and had false horns attached to them rose out of the puddle and brandished clawed gauntlets that each wore on one arm.

Moving quickly, one of the two launched his partner over the group, landing in front as they extended a chain of shuriken blades that linked their two gauntlets together, wrapping them around Kakashi before the Jonin could react and, with a quick motion, slicing him to bits with the bladed links.

“Heh,” chuckled one of the two, who had a single horn attached to his forehead protector, “now for the kids.”

“Not likely,” said Sakura as her eyes glowed bright, causing the ground underneath the feet of the Kiri-nin to erupt upward, knocking them off their feet, “Naruto, protect Tazuna. Sasuke, with me.”

Naruto quickly moved to guard Tazuna, drawing his sword as he did, so, while Sasuke drew some quick runes in the air as the two Kiri-nin rushed at him, “ _Fulmen iecit!_ ”

A bolt of lightning shot from the runes, striking the chain that linked the gauntlets and was conducted along the metal, electrocuting both men, forcing them to disconnect the chain from their gauntlets. Cursing, one of the two Shinobi leapt at Sasuke, aiming to tear him apart with his claws, but a rather large piece of earth slammed into him and redirected his flight path into and through the trunk of a tree. Shaking the stars out of his vision, he looked up and saw Sakura floating there with stones and torn up pieces of earth orbiting around her as she glowed with a pink aura.

He was about to pull himself to his feet, when Sasuke pulled a vial out of his pocket and threw it at him.

“ _Hostem aeterna glacie coercet_ ” yelled Sasuke, causing the vial to shatter, splashing the Kiri-nin with the contents, said contents promptly freezing, the ice expanding to cover the Shinobi’s body, leaving only his face exposed.

“Damn you!” yelled the other Shinobi, “What did you do to my brother?”

Before he could act though, the chain they had disconnected from their gauntlets flew at him, glowing with a pink aura, wrapping itself around the Kiri-nin as it dragged him over to a tree and bound him to the trunk, the blades from the chain digging deep into the wood to do so.

“You should pay more attention to your enemies,” said Sakura.

“You three,” stammered Tazuna, “you’re _Genin?!_ ”

“Indeed,” said Naruto as he lowered his blade, seeing that the threat had been dealt with, “while we are skilled in our fields, we are merely students. Isn’t that right, Kakashi-sensei?”

“I probably should be surprised that you detected me so easily,” said Kakashi as he stepped out from behind a tree, “but after being your sensei for the past few weeks, I’m not sure anything surprises me anymore.”

“I don’t understand,” said Tazuna, “they ripped you apart! I saw it happen.”

“Genjutsu,” explained Sakura, “the art of illusion and misdirection.”

“That and a quick application of the Kawarimi,” said Sasuke.

“Indeed,” said Kakashi, “but what concerns me the most is the identity of our two attackers here. The Demon Brothers: Gōzu and Meizu, missing-nin from Kiri that defected after a failed attempt on the Mizukage’s life. Most certainly _not_ the level of opponents expected on a C-Rank escort mission.”

Kakashi slowly turned to face the bridge builder with an even look, but Tazuna couldn’t help but sweat at what he felt emanating from the Jonin.

“Tazuna-san,” said Kakashi with a deceptive calm as he looked their client in the eyes, “I believe you have some explaining to do, and until we get the truth, all of it, this mission is on hold. Now talk.”


	4. Chapter 4

Tazuna gulped as Kakashi continued to watch him, waiting for a response. The Jonin maintained a calm and collected appearance, but even one as inexperienced as Tazuna could feel the overbearing aura of displeasure that the Jonin was emitting. He knew that Tazuna was hiding something, and that secret could have cost the lives of an unprepared Genin Team that could have accepted this mission in their place. Luckily for him, Team 7 was far from unprepared, thus Kakashi was merely displeased, and not enraged because one of his students had been hurt.

“I can explain,” said Tazuna.

“I should hope so,” said Kakashi, “intentionally omitting vital information when requesting a mission can have serious consequences. You requested to be protected from bandits and thieves. Missing-nin were not part of the arrangement and require the Mission to be labeled as a B-Rank at the minimum depending on the expected threat level so that the appropriate forces can be prepared and dispatched.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” said Tazuna as he hung his head, “My home is being bled dry of all its resources thanks to Gatō!”

“Gatō?” said Kakashi, “Of Gatō Company? Gatō the shipping magnate? What does he have to do with any of this?”

“Heh,” chuckled Tazuna mirthlessly, “he may claim to be just a shipping magnate, but under the surface, he’s a disgusting criminal. Using his shipping industry as a cover, he runs a criminal empire from the shadows. He came to our home and dug his claws into our lives, crushing the will out of the people and monopolizing our once proud shipping industry. Using a combination of money and hired muscle, Gatō has taken complete control over the harbors, controlling who comes and goes so that all of our trade and industry has to go through him. The bridge I’m building was supposed to be our salvation.”

“Because with the bridge connecting you to the mainland, you’ll have a means of trade that Gatō can’t block,” said Kakashi in understanding.

“And Gatō will do anything to keep the bridge from being finished,” said Tazuna, “even going as far as to hire rouge Shinobi to take my life, which is the reason I traveled to Konoha to request assistance, but thanks to Gatō’s control over our resources, I didn’t have the means to afford anything higher than a C-Rank.”

“I understand your plight,” said Kakashi, “still, this mission has become extremely dangerous, and I’m not sure my students are prepared for what lies ahead.”

“Kakashi-sensei,” said Naruto firmly, causing the Jonin to turn to him, “we must continue the mission.”

“Oh?” asked Kakashi, “And why is that, Naruto-kun? If we continue, we’ll likely face enemy shinobi that are far more powerful than the Demon Brothers, and I can’t promise that I can both protect you and our client if we engage them.”

“It matters not,” said Naruto, “to walk away from this mission, knowing it will bring about our client’s death and the continued subjugation of his home would go against the tenets I swore to follow when I inherited my blade. I will not turn my back on them.”

“ _We_ won’t,” said Sasuke as he stepped forward, “I won’t let those families suffer the fate of my own.”

“It’s illogical to think that Gatō will be satisfied with simply controlling Nami no Kuni,” said Sakura, “people like him always want more. Stopping him now will save not only the people there, but all those who would suffer from his influence in the future.”

“I see,” said Kakashi, “and is that your final decision?”

“It is,” said Naruto, “and I swear by the blade of my sword that we shall prevail.

“Well then,” said Kakashi, “if you’re so insistent, then we’ll continue, but first, let’s see if we can get a clearer picture of what we’ll be facing.”

“Allow me,” said Sakura as she walked over to the Kiri-nin she had chained to a tree, “just give me a moment.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he watched the pink-haired supposed-ESPer walk over to the member of the Demon Brothers that was trying to struggle against his bonds without letting the bladed chain cut into his skin, he had intended to use his Sharingan to extract the information, but that would have cost precious Chakra due to him not being an Uchiha and if his student wanted to have a go, he wouldn’t mind seeing more of what she, and the others, could do.

Kakashi watched as Sakura placed her hands on the sides of the chained Shinobi’s head with her thumbs on his temples, with her eyes glowing bright with pink light and the Kiri-nin’s eyes growing wide and glassy, before she broke away, breathing hard as the Shinobi slumped in his bonds, a bit of drool coming from his mouth as he stared vacantly into space.

“I wasn’t able to get much,” said Sakura, “his mind was stronger than I expected, but I did see two others, both Shinobi, and both stronger than both brothers combined. One of the two even wielded a large sword that resembled a giant butcher knife.”

“Hmm,” said Kakashi with a frown, “if they’re from Kiri like these two, then that indicates we might be facing one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kiri’s elite team of Kenjutsu users, each equipped with a unique and powerful sword. We’ll have to be on our toes, as a prerequisite of joining their ranks is a Jonin Rank at minimum.”

“What do we do with them?” asked Tazuna as he pointed at the captured Demon Brothers.

“They won’t be going anywhere,” said Sasuke, “and if we are still being hunted, it’s best we cover as much ground as possible before our next engagement.”

“Indeed,” said Kakashi, “let’s get moving. Stay in escort formation and keep your eyes and ears open. An attack could come from anywhere.”

xXsceneXx

The group continued on for a bit longer, keeping their senses peeled for any threats, but a dense fog began to roll in, obscuring their view of the path, forcing them to stop.

“Strange,” said Naruto as he looked around, “is fog this thick common in these parts?”

“This isn’t fog,” mused Sasuke as he ran his hands through the thick clouds, “its mist.”

“It’s a Jutsu!” exclaimed Kakashi, “Manji formation around Tazuna!”

The Team quickly moved into guard positions around the bridge builder, focusing their senses to try and discern any enemies through the mist, while Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan in an attempt to pierce the mist, only to confirm that he couldn’t due to Chakra permeating the clouds around them.

Suddenly, Sakura’s voice cut through the mist as she pulled them off their feet with their powers, “DOWN!”

The group felt a breeze fly over their heads as they hit the dirt, indicative of a large object swinging through the space where their necks had been with great force.

“We need to deal with this mist,” said Naruto as he reached for his sword, “Sasuke, Sakura, any ideas?”

“I’ve got it,” said Sasuke as he began drawing several runes in the air, “buy me a few seconds!”

Sakura and Naruto nodded, deflecting more hidden swings and keeping Tazuna safe with their ESPer abilities and reflexes respectively, anticipating and parrying more unseen attacks, as Sasuke began chanting to himself as he carefully carved the glowing runes into the air, “ _Viribus aeris spiritus…_ ”

“Left!” yelled out Sakura as she stretched out her mental senses, prompting Naruto to swing out with his sword, barely deflecting another attack, though the blond noted from the feel that the mysterious attacker (no pun intended) was wielding a Zanbato of some sort.

“Might want to hurry up, Sasuke,” said Naruto as he shook out his sword arm, trying to relieve the ache from deflecting such a powerful blow.

Their team mage shot a glare at the blond swordsman as he continued to chant, focusing his powers and attention towards molding the runes together, “ _invoco incertum belli purgatum_ …”

“Any time now!” said Naruto as Sakura yelled out to block several more attacks while Kakashi pulled Tazuna to the ground to avoid one that would have taken his head off.

“ _spiritus occulta revelando NOSTRO!_ ” finished Sasuke as the runes he had carved into the air glowed bright.

There was a sudden blast of wind that formed a spherical shell around them, within which the air was clean and clear. The wind shell quickly expanded, dispelling the thick mist to reveal a man wearing a dark grey sleeveless outfit with grey leg and arm warmers and bandages covering his mouth. Also, just as Sakura had foreseen in the mind of their captive, the man wielded a massive sword that resembled a large cleaver.

“Impressive,” said the man, “I didn’t think brats like you could prove to be such a challenge, but I guess that’s to be expected for the students of Kakashi of the Sharingan. Nevertheless, I’ll be killing that bridge builder. Cutting you four down would just be a bonus.”

“Zabuza Momochi,” said Kakashi as he grimly identified their opponent, “Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, you’ll want to stand back.” He said as he moved his headband to reveal his Sharingan, “He’s beyond your current skill level. I’ll take care of him.”

“Hmph,” chuckled Zabuza as he hoisted his blade, “you think rather highly of yourself. That famous eye won’t save you this time, even if your brat’s can counter my mist.”

“We’ll see,” said Kakashi as he blurred through several hand-seals, “Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!”

Zabuza watched as Kakashi breathed out a ball of fire that streaked toward him, not worried in the slightest as he readied his massive blade. As the attack grew near, he swung his sword down on the fireball, the power from the strike actually parting the flames, causing them to dispel explosively, but as he did so, Kakashi leapt through the smoke from the blast with a Kunai drawn, bringing the blade down on the Kiri-nin, only for Zabuza to burst into water as the knife connected.

“Mizu Bunshin,” muttered Kakashi as he quickly looked around for any sign of his opponent, before flipping backwards to avoid a vicious slash from Zabuza’s blade as the missing-nin leapt out at him.

Zabuza then threw several kunai at Kakashi, forcing the Copy-nin further back, before leaping closer to the nearby lake himself and weaving several hand-signs, causing several more copies of himself to rise up out of the water. Working with his copies, Zabuza attacked Kakashi with renewed vigor, but the Jonin defended himself in a flurry of motion, his kunai lashing out and tearing through the Mizu Bunshin, reducing them to pools of water around him, leaving Kakashi standing amidst them, alone.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” said Kakashi as he looked around for his opponent, “I expected more from the Demon of the Mist.”

“Then I’ll have to rectify that,” said Zabuza from behind Kakashi, causing him to turn in surprise, but it was too late.

“ _Suirō no Jutsu!_ ” said Zabuza triumphantly, as the water left over from his destroyed Mizu Bunshin rose up and formed into a sphere that trapped the Copy-nin, rendering him helpless and unable to fight.

“Now,” said Zabuza as he made a one-handed hand-seal creating several more Mizu Bunshin from the lake, “to deal with you brats.”

** To be continued… **


	5. Chapter 5

“Shit,” swore Sasuke as he looked between Zabuza’s Mizu Bunshin and their originator, “do you think we can take them?”

“We nothing,” said Naruto as he gripped his sword, “I’m going to be taking them on. Alone.”

“Are you crazy?” demanded Tazuna, “You saw what he did to your sensei! How do you think you can take him alone?”

“I have to,” said Naruto, “Sasuke’s spells take too long to cast for them to be of any use against an opponent with Zabuza’s skills and Sakura’s powers are best used to keep you safe while Sasuke prepares his defensive wards. That leaves it to me to engage Zabuza and his Mizu Bunshin in order to free Kakashi-sensei.”

“Much to my regret, that is logical,” sighed Sakura, “fine, do what you need to do and don’t die. We’ll keep Tazuna safe.”

“You should be more worried about yourself!” yelled one of the Mizu Bunshin as it closed the distance in a burst of speed, his massive sword drawn back to take their heads.

*shing*

“Sorry,” intoned Naruto as he sheathed his Katana, letting the remains of the Mizu Bunshin splash onto the ground as he walked forward, “but you won’t be killing anyone today.”

“Oh?” said Zabuza with an impressed tone, “You know your way around a blade, boy. Unexpected from a Konoha Genin. Who are you?”

“My name,” said Naruto seriously, “is Naruto Uzumaki, student of the blade, and follower of the way of the sword.”

“Really now?” smirked Zabuza, “Let’s test that.”

His remaining Mizu Bunshin then charged at Naruto forcing the blond to roll to the side to dodge a downward slash that would have bisected him down the middle. Rolling to his feet, the blond swordsman quickly drew his sword in time to block a swing from Zabuza’s cleaver that still sent him skidding across the ground from the power behind it.

“ _Ittoryu,_ ” ground out Naruto as he gathered his strength and slid into a practiced stance, “ _Odoru Tsubame!_ ”

Swinging his sword out, Naruto sent several blades of wind flying at Zabuza’s Mizu Bunshin, but the Mizu Bunshin showed a surprising amount of strength as he sliced through each wind-blade with his massive sword with several quick strikes despite the weapon’s large size. Not relenting on the attack, Naruto dashed forward, striking with several lightning-quick slashes, but Zabuza’s skill as a former member of Kiri’s Seven Swordsmen showed through his Mizu Bunshin, as each of Naruto’s strikes was quickly parried by the Kiri-nin’s massive sword, before delivering a retaliatory swipe at Naruto’s midsection that forced the blond to jump back.

“ _Ittoryu,_ ” said Naruto as he sheathed his sword and crouched down, “ _Issen!_ ”

Naruto shot forward, quickly unsheathing his sword as slashed at the Mizu Bunshin, but his attack was easily deflected by Zabuza as he swung the flat of his larger sword into Naruto, sending the blond tumbling across the ground.

“You’re good,” commented the Mizu Bunshin, “in another life, you might be recruited as an apprentice of Kiri’s Seven Swordsmen, but you don’t have what it takes to finish the job.”

“Perhaps,” said Naruto as he panted in exhaustion, “then it is perhaps time that I stop holding back.”

“What?” said the Mizu Bunshin in surprise as Naruto bit his thumb and wiped the blood across the flat of his sword.

“This will end it,” said Naruto, “ _unleash the hidden arte._ ”

Zabuza watched as the blood was absorbed by the blond’s sword, causing crimson runes to appear across its surface that glowed with an ominous light. An aura of red flames then erupted from Naruto’s body that coalesced along his blade as burns began to form across the blond’s skin.

“ ** _Ittoryu Kijutsu,_** ” intoned Naruto as he raised his sword, the energy leaking from him distorting his voice, “ ** _Kyōkai-sen!_** ”

Naruto brought his sword down, releasing an energy slash that tore through the ground as it streaked towards Zabuza, bisecting his Mizu Bunshin as it tried to defend its creator from the attack. Zabuza brought his sword out from his back to deflect the slash, but he couldn’t muster enough strength with one arm being used to maintain the Water Prison holding Kakashi, and the empowered slash slammed into his blade, cutting into it as Zabuza skidded across the ground, being pushed away from Kakashi by the force of the attack, releasing the Jonin from the Jutsu that was holding him.

Zabuza continued to struggle against the powerful attack, but it eventually broke through, snapping his blade in half and slamming into the Missing-nin’s chest. The attack would have ripped him in two, but luckily it had been weakened from breaking through his blade, and instead tore a gash across his chest and sent him flying into the nearby lake, with his body slowly sinking beneath the water as blood leaked from his chest.

“Good,” said Naruto weakly as the aura of power faded and he fell to his knees with burns across his body, “it’s over…”

“Naruto!” yelled out Sasuke as he and Sakura rushed over to their injured teammate. Kakashi, now free, got their first and did a quick check over his blond student.

“Mild Chakra burns and acute exhaustion,” said Kakashi, “plus it seems that he bruised the bones in his arms as well. We’ll need to find some place to rest and lay low.”

“My home is nearby,” said Tazuna, “We can go there and let the kid recover. It’s the least I can do.”

“You have our gratitude,” said Kakashi, “now we should get moving. Sakura, I assume you can carry Naruto?”

“You’re asking her to do it?” asked Tazuna in surprise, “I guess Chivalry isn’t a Shinobi trait.”

“He asked me because of my particular skillset,” said Sakura as her eyes glowed pink and she lifted Naruto off the ground with her powers, “I can move him with less chance that his injuries would be aggravated.”

“You kids,” muttered Tazuna, “do other Konoha Shinobi have such incredible powers and skills?”

“Dear Kami I hope not,” muttered Kakashi as he shook his head, thinking of the headaches these three had caused him.

Tazuna glanced at him for a moment before deciding that he probably didn’t want to know what that was about. Wordlessly, he led the group to a nearby port where they paid a boat owner to take them across the waters to his home in Nami no Kuni.

xXsceneXx

The lakeside battlefield where Naruto and Zabuza fought was quiet, with only the wind rustling the trees being heard. Suddenly, the waters of the lake bubbled and two figures surfaced, one of them supporting the other as he dragged him ashore.

“Thank you, Haku,” grunted Zabuza as he laid on the shore of the Lake.

“It was nothing, Zabuza-sama,” said the second figure, a petite figure with long black hair tied up in a bun and a green outfit with white trim and a dark green sash, “let me tend to your wounds.”

Withdrawing a container of salve from his person, Haku began to smear the paste onto Zabuza’s chest wound, stemming the bleeding as the medicinal herbs got to work, but the swordsmen pushed him aside and began to attempt to stand, forcing Haku to steady him lest he fall.

“Zabuza-sama,” said Haku, “you need to rest. If you keep moving your wounds will get worse.”

“Then I’ll rest back at the hideout,” said Zabuza, “not here in the middle of the road like some beggar.”

“Hai, Zabuza-sama,” said Haku before glancing at the broken piece of his master’s sword, “it is a shame about your blade though. I will see about retrieving a replacement.”

“Tch,” spat Zabuza, “Kubikiribōchō is not some weak sword. It wasn’t one of the Seven Blades for nothing.”

Walking over to the lake he had fallen in, Zabuza plunged his broken blade into the bloody waters and watched as the blood floating on the surface was drawn to the metal of his sword and absorbed. Once the blood was gone, Zabuza withdrew the weapon from the lake to reveal that it was all but fully restored, with bits of it still regenerating as it converted the iron in his blood into new metal for the blade.

“I will have my rematch with that blond swordsman,” said Zabuza, “and next time, only one of us will walk away breathing.”


End file.
